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Over the years, the Final Fantasy series has continually impressed RPG fans by the masses. Each Final Fantasy gives the player something new, whether it be an epic tale or an innovate battle system. Ever since its announcement at E3 2006, I’ve been closely watching this game, keeping it on my highly anticipated list. Once I got the chance to import the game from Japan, I didn’t think twice.

Final Fantasy XIII starts out the same as the demo. Lightning and Sazh are riding on a train into Cocoon City, which is being attacked by PSICOM soldiers. After the stylish and action-packed opening cinematic, Lightning and Sazh are forced to fight a mechanical scorpion. It’s here where the battle system is introduced.

The battle system in XIII makes many nods to how Final Fantasy X-2’s worked. The combat is fast-paced and keeps a nice flow. There’s still a party of three, but as opposed to having direct control over all three, you’ll only be able to direct the party leader. The other party members will be acting on their own, but you can change their Optima at any time, with Optima being what class, or job, a character will possess. For example, two characters could be Attackers while one is a Healer. Blaster (magic), Enhancer (status buffs), Jammer (debufs to enemy), and Defender are the other Optima to choose from.

In addition to having different Optima strategies, there’s also an opportunity to make the enemy more vulnerable by attacking and making its Break gauge fill. Once the Break gauge is filled, attacks will be more effective, and you’ll be able to do a lift attack that keeps the enemy in the air for the duration of a combo.

When the game first begins, you’ll only be able to choose two attacks each time the ATB bar fills up. When the ATB bar is charging, you’ll be able to choose a certain amount of attacks, depending on how big the attack is and how much the ATB bar will allow. Later on, the ATB bar will expand, allowing for more attacks. After the ATB bar is full, the characters will unleash all of the planned attacks, displaying a stylish and flashy style of combat that is always fun to look at.

Final Fantasy XIII doesn’t feature a traditional style of leveling up. Similar to Final Fantasy X’s Sphere Grid, the Crystarium allows you to upgrade a character’s Optima by spending CP. The stats upgraded in the Crystarium are pretty standard – HP, attack power, and new skills being only a few. In addition to the Crystarium, items can be upgraded by using certain items on them to enhance their quality (and give them experience). Once the item being upgraded has enough experience it too will level up and, depending on the item, will give the holder more HP, attack power, etc.

In addition to all of this, there are a lot of non-traditional things about this installment of Final Fantasy that really make it a different game. For instance, the only way to acquire money is to loot it from chests or sell items. Comparing it to Final Fantasy X again, the game seems to have an extreme focus on linearity. Not often will you be roaming vast plains. There is, however, Gran Pulse, which is an enormous open field where the hunting side-quests are introduced. Hunts are optional, but the rewards are usually worth it. Since these hunts are scattered literally all over Gran Pulse, finding them can be a quest on its own.

To sum things up, Final Fantasy XIII feels very different from other games of its kind, and the amount of care that went into the development of the game shines through in all aspects. The idea of having a linear RPG may be a turn off, but it keeps things flowing nicely even when the story jumps between characters. If anything, importing the game has made me even more excited for the English release in March.

Synopsis
Get ready to plunge into the lush and deadly world of the Italian Renaissance, an era of arts, riches and murderous conspiracy. Assassin’s Creed II introduces you to Ezio, a new assassin carrying on the deadly lineage of his forebears. Confront an epic tale of power and corruption as you hone your assassin’s art, wielding weapons and instruments designed by the legendary Leonardo da Vinci himself in this gripping and deadly sequel.

Key Game Features:

• Explore the deadly, shadowed world of the assassin with new assassin Ezio
• Roam freely through the lush and dangerous world of Renaissance-era Italy
• Do whatever it takes to complete your missions in the game’s all-new open world and mission structure
• Thrive in an environment rich with power, revenge and conspiracy
• Practice your assassin’s art with all-new weapons and instruments created by Leonardo da Vinci

Fans of the previous game will be very impressed with Assassin’s Creed II. I must say that the previous game was quite disappointing. I felt it had a lot of potential as a game but the repetitive gameplay and frame-rate issues made it a big let down. This time though things have changed drastically for the good. I have yet to complete the game but have played enough to formulate a review.

The first thing you’ll notice is that the game has a very cinematic feel. The cutscenes are a bit lengthy and drive the story very well. The voice acting is pretty good and the lip syncing is almost spot on. Graphically the game is stunnning. The first Assassians creed looked very pretty but this one seems a notch above it. There is no denying the beauty of it all.

The gameplay has a very GTA style feel to it. You go from place to place to do a variety of different things. Unlike the last game where the gameplay was very reptitive where each section of the game required you to gather information in order to assassinate your victim (which only consisted of 3 or 4 different ways). Ubisoft have completely revamped that flawed style into a more enjoyable experience. Basically, think GTA but in the 15th century.

The freestyle movement is well done and easy to use. Although sometimes I had difficulty jumping up walls, Pressing the X button sometimes makes Ezio jump outwards rather than up. Having said that, its still an enjoyable experience, very much like the last game. Its also quite easy to navigate around your map.

The combat system hasn’t changed that much. There are a few minor modifications. Ezio can do a few different things this time round like snatch enemy weopons while fighting and thrusting them down there body. The combat is a lot of fun and quite easy to learn. Also Ubisoft have added a currency system in the game. You can steal money from passing citizens or search enemies for money or earn money by doing errands and missions. The money can be spent on buying weopons and armor or upgrading current items. It makes the game much more enjoyable and interactive.

One thing of note is that this game is not for kids. There is a lot of sexuality in this game. Ezio can hire whores to distract gaurds and there is a bit of dirty talk. Its fun but some might feel it to be offensive. The ESRB does rate it at 17+, young children should stay away from this game.

There are a few minor glitches in the game but nothing major. I had a problem picking up boxes in the beginning of the game but nothing major so far. Hopefully these issues will be fixed with a patch.

Overall this game is a lot of fun. Its way better than the previous game. Anyone who enjoyed Assassins Creed should pick this one up. They will not be disappointed.

I loved AC1; loved it, despite the poor reviews. I saw the potential. Now, in AC2, the potential has been met. It’s not as repetitive; there’s more interaction with the people and city. Some aspects have really been improved such as weaponry, killing and missions; other aspects have been untouched, such as horseback riding, climbing, etc. The improvements make the game better, but it still has more potential. One downfall is that there is a lot of language in this one. But, the game is longer and crazier than the first. The storyline at the end will either be a hit or miss for many. I, for one, am intrigued and can’t wait till the next one!

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